Concrete block construction



Nov. 10, 1953 E. FIORDELISI 2,658,378

CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 10, 1950 2 SheetsSheet 1INVEN'TOR. Irwin ifz'ordelzlsi,

Nov. 10, 1953 E. FIORDELISI CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Oct, 10, 1950 INVENTOR. jrnesio f zbrdelilsz BY g I QilorrggPatented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim. (Cl. 72-46)This invention relates to concrete blocks and to structures composed ofthe same, such as walls or other parts of buildings or similarstructures. One of the objects of the invention is to provide areinforced concrete block assembly for use in the erection of buildings,and which will be of extraordinary strength; which will befire-resistant; which will require a minimum amount of lumber in thebuilding and which can be very easily erected by masons or other workershaving little skill or experience in building construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of cooperatingconcrete blocks which are cemented, reinforced and interlocked togetherin a manner to result in a building wall or other part of exceptionalstrength and rigidity. Still another object of the invention is toprovide a novel means for tying together and reinforcing the associatedblocks, with means provided in the blocks for receiving and concealingthe reinforcements; for providing air spaces and ventilation betweenslabs forming part of the block assembly and for producing a strong andrigid wall or other building structure.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth, in view, Ihave devised the particular arrangement of parts to be described andmore particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a concrete blockconstructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectionalview, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrows; Fig. 3 is a perspective View of another type of block, or thatherein referred to as the slab type; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken onthe line 4- of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 isa top plan view of a corner block; Fig. 6 is a face view of another formof slab type of block; Fig. 7 is a View looking at the right edge of theslab type of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an assembly ofseveral of the blocks according to the invention, and Fig. 9 is a faceView of a wall constructed according to the invention.

In carrying out the present invention, a number of types of concreteblocks are employed, examples of several of the types used being shownat I to 4 inclusive in the drawings. The type of block shown at I is anintermediate block and is of a width defining or determining thethickness of the Wall structure of which it forms a part. The block Ihas the two parallel side walls 5 and 6 which, in the erection of a wallor other building structure, form the opposite faces thereof. The endwalls of the block are indicated at I and 8 and each of these walls hasits outer face formed with the spaced vertically-extending grooves 9which receive the concrete or mortar in the erection of the wall.Located between these grooves 9 is a vertically-extending rib I0 and thewalls I and 8 are provided with an aperture or vent I3 which extendsthrough the ribs I0 as clearly seen in Fig. l.

The upper and lower edges of the walls I and 8 are grooved as shown atII, these grooves II being aligned with the grooves 9.

I The block shown at 2 is of the slab type, and is of a thicknessconsiderably less than one-half of the width of the block I and the wallof which the block I forms a part. The slab 2 may be made in variouslengths and one of its ends, or that shown at I4, is provided with atongue I5 for interlock with a recess of complementary shape provided onan adjacent slab when two of the slabs are placed end-to-end in a wallor building structure.

Such a recess is shown at IS in the end II of the slab 2.

It will be noted that the slab 2 is provided in its edge with the grooveI8 which extends completely around the edge of the slab and also extendsthrough the tongue I5 as will be clearly apparent from Fig. 3. Extendingcentrally and longitudinally through the slab 2 is a continuous passageI9 which emerges at one end at the center of the tongue I5 and its otherend in the center of the recess Hi. This passage is intended for thereception of a tie wire 32 in a manner to be presently explained.

The block 3 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is another of the slab types employedin the improved construction. In the form shown the same is providedwith the tongue I5 and with the groove I8 in its edge similar to thatshown in the slab 2. Slab 3 is also provided with the passage I9 for thereception of a tie wire 32. This form of slab is provided with astraight edge and instead of having a tongue I5 provided on its oppositeedge 2 I, it might be provided with av recess,

.such as that shown at I6 in Fig. 3.

The block shown at 4, in Fig. 5 is of the corner type, that is to say,it is of full width of the walls and is provided with the two smooth orunbroken walls 22 and 23 at right angles to one another. The tworemaining walls shown at 24 and 25 are the inner walls and are providedwith the ribs I0 and the top and bottom grooves II opposite throughwhich the vents I3 are provided. The outer walls 22 and 23 might also beinitially formed with vents as shown at 26, which vents might later besealed after the wall is erected.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown one manner in which a wall or other similarbuilding structure can be erected by the use of the blocks heretoforedescribed. A corner structure or post member is built up bysuperimposing a number of the corner blocks 4 upon one another. Thecorner post thus erected is reinforced by a plurality of verticalreinforcing rods 30 which extend continuously down through the hollowcenters of the corner blocks 4, the centers of these blocks being filledaround the reinforcin wires with mortar, as shown at 3| in Fig. 8. Thesevertical reinforcing rods can be tied together by wires extended aroundthem. The wall structure leading from the corner blocks may be largelycomposed of the slabs 2 and 3 with blocks such as shown at I interposedin the wall at intervals to strengthen the resultant structure. In theform shown, each of the slabs 2 and 3 is twice as high as the blocks Iand 4 and when the slabs are placed endwisely against one of the blocksl or 4, the tie wires 32 extending through the passages I9 in the slabs2 and 3 and projecting therefrom will extend through the grooves II inthe blocks I or 4 to reach the vertically-extending reinforcing rods 30extending down through the centers of these blocks. These wires may becurled or wrapped about the rods 30 as shown at 33 in Fig. 8. It will benoted that when two slabs are placed against one of the blocks I or 4,the ribs I will lie between the slabs and maintain the same in properlyspaced relation and thus provide an air space in the wall. It will befurther seen that the vents I3 extending through the walls of the blocksI and 4 communicate with the space between the slabs so that ventilationmay be thus established through the wall. Passages through the mortarfill 3| can be maintained by the use of pipe inserts through theapertures I3 and across the interior of the block which inserts can bewithdrawn when the mortar has hardened.

By the use of properly positioned slabs 2 and 3 in the wall, withregularly inserted blocks I, a strong and sturdy structure is provided.The interlock at the ends of the slabs effected by the tongue and groovearrangement described, not only aids in the positioning of the slabs,but greatly strengthens the structure. A wall may be easily andaccurately laid with the blocks because the spacing ribs I0 aidmaterially in aligning the slabs, and the reinforcing means extendingthrough the blocks and slabs effectively ties the structure together. Inlaying up a wall such as shown in Fig. 9, the customary procedure ofplacing the end or corner blocks 4 in place is carried out, followed bythe placement of the slabs 3 between them. As each row of slabs isplaced in position, the reinforcing rod 32 is inserted through the slabswith the ends extended for bending around the vertical tie wires 30 inthe corner blocks as indicated at 33. It may be found desirable to useshort, overlapping lengths of reinforcing rod, as is known in concretereinforcement, as a substitute for continuous lengths, should certainmethods of laying up the blocks differing from those outlined, berequired to be followed.

While I have herein described the blocks and slabs as being of certainshapes and proportions, it will be apparent that these shapes andproportions may be varied according to various requirements of abuilding and to meet assemblies around doors, windows and otherstructures. By the employment of blocks constructed as herein describedand assembled in an almost endless number of ways, buildings employing aminimum of wood and steel are possible and the structures so made beingfireproof and of exceptional strength.

What I claim is:

In a concrete block wall construction, a pair of spaced-apart wall slabsproviding an air space between them, a hollow block adjacent to one endof the slabs, said block having opposite walls, at least one of which isarranged with a central vertical rib positioned between the slabs andmaintaining the slabs in spaced relation, each slab having a continuouscircumferential groove in its edge, at least some of the slabs beingprovided with a tongue at one end and a notch at the other end, thegroove extending through said tongue and notch, said slab having acentral horizontal tie rod passage through it, each passage beingsurrounded by parts of the body of a respective slab, said tie rodpassage emerging at one end in the notch and emerging at the other endout of the tongue in those slabs which are provided with a tongue andnotch, the slabs being each of greater height than the block, the blockhaving spaced grooves provided in the upper edge of its ribbed wall,said spaced grooves being in axial alignment with the tie rod passagesin the slabs, tie rods extending through the tie rod passages andentering the interior of the block through said grooves, and airpassages through the ribbed portions of the walls of the block forestablishing communication between the interior of the block and the airspace between the slabs.

ERNESTO FIORDELISI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 690,811 Waller Jan. 7, 1902 838,582 Rackle Dec. 18, 19061,343,926 Madsen June 22, 1920 1,374,356 Clouser et al Apr. 12, 19211,870,926 Sawyer n Aug. 9, 1932 1,891,837 Pittman Dec. 20, 19321,915,011 Bribet June 20, 1933 2,372,038 Westveer Mar. 20, 1945 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 21,481 France Oct. 12, 1920 149,385 GreatBritain Aug. 10, 1920 228,204 Great Britain of 1925 733,278 France July5, 1932 907,515 France July 2, 1945

